Biographies & Memoirs - Books

Un largo sábado

Biographies & Memoirs

En esta magnífica introducción a su pensamiento George Steiner rememora su juventud, su educación en Estados Unidos, su postura frente al judaísmo y su amor por los idiomas y las grandes mitologías de nuestro siglo. George Steiner es un apasionado de lo absoluto. Algunos temen su espíritu mordaz y sus críticas cáusticas. Otros lo admiran por su cultura políglota, por su conocimiento de los textos clásicos, por su compromiso intelectual y por su creencia ciega, después del Holocausto, en que una comunidad humana todavía es posible.Acompañado de la complicidad de la prestigiosa periodista francesa Laure Adler, George Steiner rememora en esta obra su juventud, su educación en Estados Unidos, su postura frente al judaísmo y su amor por los idiomas y las grandes mitologías de nuestro siglo: el psicoanálisis, el marxismo y el estructuralismo. También nos habla de su gran pasión por aquello que da sentido a su vida: la música. Un largo sábado reúne entrevistas realizadas entre 2002 y 2014 a uno de los grandes eruditos del siglo XX y supone quizá la mejor introducción al pensamiento de este incansable defensor de la alta cultura.«Del espíritu vienés, y de esa Europa judaizada ahora desaparecida, Steiner conserva la espontánea provocación de una magnífica ironía [...] al tiempo que una curiosa modestia. Su obra, que nos hace reflexionar sobre nuestro legado, nos obsequia además con una inmensa cultura, un puñado de bromas inteligentes y el perfume de la anarquía». Le Magazine Littéraire«George Steiner encarna el gran humanismo que se marchita. Es el último europeo». Borja Hermoso, Babelia, El País«Si se me permite la expresión, es una máquina de hacer pensar, un formidable mecanismo para estimular la opinión y el pensamiento de sus lectores». Manuel Hidalgo, El Cultural, El Mundo«No podemos concebir la actividad intelectual de nuestro tiempo sin el pensamiento de Steiner». Alberto Manguel, El País

Sigo aquí

Biographies & Memoirs

Un parto se complica más allá de lo razonable; a una niña le diagnostican una enfermedad incurable que la tiene encamada durante más de un año; una adolescente es agredida por un extraño mientras pasea por el campo; el avión en el que una joven viaja a Asia se precipita al vacío; una mujer se salva por los pelos de ser atropellada. Estos son algunos de los episodios –sucedidos en distintos momentos de su vida y en diversos países– que Maggie O’Farrell recoge en este particularísimo libro autobiográfico. Diecisiete roces con la muerte, como los llama su autora, que pudieron terminar en desastre, diecisiete momentos clave de su vida que revelan una manera de ser y estar en el mundo. Sigo aquí es un libro sincero que huyendo de lo sentimental anima al lector a interrogarse sobre las cosas que verdaderamente cuentan, a reflexionar sobre la fragilidad de nuestra existencia y a celebrar la belleza y el milagro de la vida.«Todo el mundo debería leerlo (…) Puedo contar con los dedos de una mano los libros que me han hecho llorar, Sigo aquí es uno de ellos.» Claire Kilroy (The Irish Times)«Nunca había leído un libro sobre la muerte que me haya hecho sentirme tan viva. Una lectura adictiva que te para el corazón.» Tracy Chevalier«Un recordatorio estremecedor y penetrante de cuán cerca estamos de lo que podría haber pasado pero no pasó.» Dani Shapiro (The New York Times)

Memoirs of Casanova — Volume 10: Under the Leads

Biographies & Memoirs

This chapter of the legendary ladies’ man’s memoirs finds him in cities including Munich and Paris, where he witnesses an attempt on the life of his old enemy, Louis XV.

Great American Lives

Biographies & Memoirs

Brilliant, captivating, and unforgettable memoirs from four of the greatest minds in American history. Penned between 1771 and 1790 and published after his death, TheAutobiography of Benjamin Franklin is one of the most acclaimed and widely read personal histories ever written. From his youth as a printer’s assistant working for his brother’s Boston newspaper through his own publishing, writing, and military careers, his scientific experiments and worldwide travels, his grand triumphs and heartbreaking tragedies, Franklin tells his story with aplomb, bringing to life the flesh-and-blood man behind the American icon. Completed just days before his death, Ulysses S. Grant’s Personal Memoirs is a clear and compelling account of his military career, focusing on two great conflicts: the Mexican–American War and the Civil War. Lauded for its crisp and direct prose, Grant’s autobiography offers frank insight into everything from the merits of the war with Mexico to the strategies and tactics employed by Union forces against the Confederacy to the poignancy of Grant’s meeting with General Lee at Appomattox Court House. Documenting a world of tariffs, insider deals, and Wall Street sharks as well as his stunning rise from bobbin boy to steel baron, The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie opens a window into the great industrialist’s decision-making process. His insights on education, business, and the necessity of giving back for the common good set an inspirational example for aspiring executives and provide a fitting testament to the power of the American dream. The Education of Henry Adams is the Pulitzer Prize–winning memoir of a brilliant man reckoning with an era of profound change. The great-grandson of President John Adams and the grandson of President John Quincy Adams, Henry Adams possessed one of the most remarkable minds of his generation. Yet he believed himself fundamentally unsuited to the era in which he lived—the tumultuous period between the Civil War and World War I. Written in third person, this uniquely unclassifiable autobiography is the Modern Library’s number-one nonfiction book of the twentieth century. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

Honey, Baby, Mine

Biographies & Memoirs

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “As actors, Dern and Ladd have spent decades peeling back layers to reveal their characters’ fears and desires. It’s when they turn that focus to each other and themselves that something remarkable emerges.”—New York Times A collection of deeply personal conversations from award-winning actress and activist Laura Dern and the woman she admires most, her mother—legendary actress Diane Ladd. What happens when we are brave enough to speak our truths to the ones we love the most? Laura Dern and Diane Ladd always had a close relationship, but the stakes were raised when Diane developed a sudden life-threatening illness. Diane’s doctor prescribed long walks to build back her lung capacity. The exertion was challenging, and Laura soon learned the best way to distract her mom was to get her talking and telling stories. Their conversations along the way began to break down the traditional barriers between mothers and daughters. They discussed the most personal topics: love, sex, marriage, divorce, art, ambition, and legacy. In Honey, Baby, Mine, Laura and Diane share these conversations, as well as reflections and anecdotes, taking readers on an intimate tour of their lives. Complementing these candid exchanges, they have included photos, family recipes, and other mementos. The result is a celebration of the power of leaving nothing unsaid that will make you want to call the people you love the most and start talking.

Clotel; or, the President's Daughter

Biographies & Memoirs

MORE than two hundred years have elapsed since the first cargo of slaves was landed on the banks of the James River, in the colony of Virginia, from the West coast of Africa. From the introduction of slaves in 1620, down to the period of the separation of the Colonies from the British Crown, the number had increased to five hundred thousand; now there are nearly four million. In fifteen of the thirty-one States, Slavery is made lawful by the Constitution, which binds the several States into one confederacy. On every foot of soil, over which Stars and Stripes wave, the Negro is considered common property, on which any white man may lay his hand with perfect impunity. The entire white population of the United States, North and South, are bound by their oath to the constitution, and their adhesion to the Fugitive Slaver Law, to hunt down the runaway slave and return him to his claimant, and to suppress any effort that may be made by the slaves to gain their freedom by physical force.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Biographies & Memoirs

Fünfmal Mr. Universum, siebenmal Mr. Olympia und Mr. World – Arnold Schwarzenegger ist der Name im Bodybuilding. In dieser Autobiografie seiner frühen Jahre erfahren seine Fans hautnah, wie die »Steirische Eiche« überhaupt zum Bodybuilding kam und zum gefeierten Star aufstieg: »Ich erinnere mich noch an den ersten Besuch im Bodybuilding-Fitnessstudio. Ich hatte noch nie jemanden gesehen, der Gewichte stemmt. Die Typen waren riesig und brutal ... Die Gewichtheber glänzten vor Schweiß; sie sahen kraftvoll aus, herkulisch. Und da war es vor mir – mein Leben, die Antwort, nach der ich gesucht hatte. Es machte klick. Es war etwas, nach dem ich plötzlich einfach schien greifen zu können, als ob ich über eine Hängebrücke gegangen wäre und endlich festen Boden betreten hätte.« Arnold teilt seine Fitness- und Trainingsgeheimnisse. Er demonstriert mit einem umfassenden Schritt-für-Schritt-Programm und Ernährungstipps, wie man Bodybuilding für eine bessere Gesundheit nutzen kann. Sein Programm beinhaltet ein spezielles 4-Tage-Programm mit spezifischen Übungen zum Aufbau einzelner Muskelgruppen – jede Übung illustriert mit Fotos von Arnold in Aktion. Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder ist damit seit vielen Jahren endlich wieder in deutscher Sprache erhältlich.

The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt Volume 1: The Venetian Years

Biographies & Memoirs

Casanova was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century. He has become so famous for his often complicated and elaborate affairs with women that his name is now synonymous with "womanizer". He associated with European royalty, popes and cardinals, along with luminaries such as Voltaire, Goethe and Mozart. He spent his last years in Bohemia as a librarian in Count Waldstein's household, where he also wrote the story of his life. Set of 6 volumes.

Mortality

Biographies & Memoirs

On June 8, 2010, while on a book tour for his bestselling memoir, Hitch-22, Christopher Hitchens was stricken in his New York hotel room with excruciating pain in his chest and thorax. As he would later write in the first of a series of award-winning columns for Vanity Fair, he suddenly found himself being deported "from the country of the well across the stark frontier that marks off the land of malady." Over the next eighteen months, until his death in Houston on December 15, 2011, he wrote constantly and brilliantly on politics and culture, astonishing readers with his capacity for superior work even in extremis. Throughout the course of his ordeal battling esophageal cancer, Hitchens adamantly and bravely refused the solace of religion, preferring to confront death with both eyes open. In this riveting account of his affliction, Hitchens poignantly describes the torments of illness, discusses its taboos, and explores how disease transforms experience and changes our relationship to the world around us. By turns personal and philosophical, Hitchens embraces the full panoply of human emotions as cancer invades his body and compels him to grapple with the enigma of death.Mortality is the exemplary story of one man's refusal to cower in the face of the unknown, as well as a searching look at the human predicament. Crisp and vivid, veined throughout with penetrating intelligence, Hitchens's testament is a courageous and lucid work of literature, an affirmation of the dignity and worth of man.

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

Biographies & Memoirs

This "glorious" revelatory biography from a Pulitzer Prize winner is about the most essential Founding Father (Ron Chernow)—the one who stood behind the change in thinking that produced the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson asserted that if there was any leader of the Revolution, “Samuel Adams was the man.” With high-minded ideals and bare-knuckle tactics, Adams led what could be called the greatest campaign of civil resistance in American history. Stacy Schiff returns Adams to his seat of glory, introducing us to the shrewd and eloquent man who supplied the moral backbone of the American Revolution. A singular figure at a singular moment, Adams amplified the Boston Massacre. He helped to mastermind the Boston Tea Party. He employed every tool available to rally a town, a colony, and eventually a band of colonies behind him, creating the cause that created a country. For his efforts he became the most wanted man in America: When Paul Revere rode to Lexington in 1775, it was to warn Samuel Adams that he was about to be arrested for treason. In The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, Schiff brings her masterful skills to Adams’s improbable life, illuminating his transformation from aimless son of a well-off family to tireless, beguiling radical who mobilized the colonies. Arresting, original, and deliriously dramatic, this is a long-overdue chapter in the history of our nation. ONE OF WALL STREET JOURNAL'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2022 ONE OF LOS ANGELES TIMES TOP 5 NONFICTION BOOKS OF 2022 ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES MOST NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2022 ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2022 And named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 by The New Yorker, TIME, Oprah Daily, USA Today, New York Magazine, Air Mail, Boston Globe, and more! "A glorious book that is as entertaining as it is vitally important.” —Ron Chernow "A beautifully crafted, invaluable biography…Schiff ingeniously connects the past to our present and future, underscoring the lessons of Adams while reclaiming our nation’s self-evident truths at a moment when we seemed to have forgotten them." —Oprah Daily

Timebends

Biographies & Memoirs

The definitive memoir of Arthur Miller—the famous playwright of The Crucible, All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, A View from the Bridge, and other plays—Timebends reveals Miller’s incredible trajectory as a man and a writer.Born in 1915, Miller grew up in Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s, developed leftist political convictions during the Great Depression, achieved moral victory against McCarthyism in the 1950s, and became president of PEN International near the end of his life, fighting for writers’ freedom of expression. Along the way, his prolific output established him as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century—he wrote twenty-two plays, various screenplays, short stories, and essays, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1949 for Death of a Salesmanand the New York Drama Critics Circle Award in 1947 for All My Sons. Miller also wrote the screenplay for The Misfits, Marilyn Monroe’s final film.This memoir also reveals the incredible host of notables that populated his life, including Marilyn Monroe, Elia Kazan, Clark Gable, Sir Laurence Olivier, John F. Kennedy, and Mikhail Gorbachev. Leaving behind a formidable reputation in the worlds of theater, cinema, and politics, Arthur Miller died in 2005 but his memoir continues his legacy.

Min utrolige livshistorie

Biographies & Memoirs

Historien hans er enestående. Som sønn av en streng politisjef drømte den unge Arnold Schwarzenegger om å flytte til Amerika og bli kroppsbyggingsmester og filmstjerne. 45 år senere hadde han blitt verdens beste kroppsbygger, sin tids største filmstjerne – og guvernør i California. Inntil nå har han ikke fortalt den hele og fulle livshistorien sin med egne ord. Her er den, i all sin usannsynlighet. Arnold Schwarzenegger ble født i Østerrike i 1947 og var guvernør i California 2003–2011.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Biographies & Memoirs

ONE OF TIME’S TEN MOST IMPORTANT NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURYIn the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time. The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand America. Praise for The Autobiography of Malcolm X“Extraordinary . . . a brilliant, painful, important book.”—The New York Times“This book will have a permanent place in the literature of the Afro-American struggle.”—I. F. Stone

A Man Called Harris

Biographies & Memoirs

Richard Harris was a giant who oozed charisma on screen; offscreen, however, he was troubled and addicted to every pleasure life could offer. Coming from a repressed Irish Catholic background, he was forced by a teenage illness to abandon his beloved rugby, but not his macho appetites. Discovering theater saved him. He had found his calling. Despite marrying the daughter of a peer, he never tried to fit in. He was always a hell-raiser to the core, along with legendary buddies Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole. But he was more; he was a gifted poet and singer. He was an intelligent family man who took great interest in his craft, and was a Renaissance man of the film world. Every time his excesses threatened to kill his career, and himself, he rose magnificently from the ashes, first with an Oscar-winning performance as Bull McCabe in The Field, then in the Harry Potter franchise.

Worthy

Biographies & Memoirs

A gripping, at times painfully honest, and ultimately inspirational memoir from global superstar and creator of the Red Table Talk series Jada Pinkett Smith. Jada Pinkett Smith was living what many would view as a fairy-tale of Hollywood success. But appearances can be deceiving, and as she felt more and more separated from her sense of self, emotional turmoil took hold. Sparing no detail, Worthy chronicles her life—from a rebellious youth running the Baltimore streets as an observer and participant in the drug trade, to the deep bond she shared with Tupac Shakur from the moment they met, to her move to Los Angeles and the successful career she built on her own terms, to becoming the wife of superstar Will Smith and mother to Jaden, Willow and bonus-mom to Trey . A rollercoaster from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of self-acceptance and spiritual healing, Worthy is a woman’s journey to finding herself again. In a media driven landscape that crafts narratives for our celebrities, Smith shares herself in an intimate conversation with readers. She answers questions about her difficult childhood, her marriage, her parenting style, her career choices, and the intense scrutiny that followed “the slap.” An impactful and rare memoir that engages and educates, Worthy shows why adhering to the status quo has never been the plan for Jada Pinkett Smith and why labels and stories crafted by others strip women of their authenticity. Worthy teaches us who Jada is, and how to embrace our most lovable qualities. Complete with thought-provoking writing prompts and meditations on how to discover who we really are and nourish our self-worth.

Biography Of Donald Trump

Biographies & Memoirs

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the larger-than-life figure of Donald Trump with Abhishek Kumar's in-depth biography 'Biography of Donald Trump: Abhishek Kumar's In-Depth Account of the Life and Political Career of Donald Trump.' Explore the Man behind the Persona In this biography, Kumar delves into Trump's life and provides insights into his early days, upbringing, business ventures, and political career. Kumar's writing presents a balanced view of Trump, providing readers with a well-rounded understanding of the man behind the persona. Through interviews with those close to Trump, as well as exhaustive research, Kumar provides readers with a captivating and in-depth account of the life of one of the most talked-about figures in modern history.

A Widow's Story

Biographies & Memoirs

Unlike anything Joyce Carol Oates has written before, A Widow’s Story is the universally acclaimed author’s poignant, intimate memoir about the unexpected death of Raymond Smith, her husband of forty-six years, and its wrenching, surprising aftermath. A recent recipient of National Book Critics Circle Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, Oates, whose novels (Blonde, The Gravedigger’s Daughter, Little Bird of Heaven, etc.) rank among the very finest in contemporary American fiction, offers an achingly personal story of love and loss. A Widow’s Story is a literary memoir on a par with The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and Calvin Trillin’s About Alice.

Dialogue

Biographies & Memoirs

Les années de formation, les rapports avec l’école, les lectures, les rencontres, les responsabilités de la science, l’avenir de l’humanité, la naissance de l’univers, la théorie de la relativité et les hypothèses les plus récentes de la physique contemporaine, la science-fiction… En juin 1984, devant un petit magnétophone, un grand écrivain et un grand physicien sont amenés à parler de leurs expériences et de leurs passions intellectuelles. Il en résulte un dialogue riche en surprises, en curiosités, en aveux autobiographiques, en projets mirobolants, en humour. C’est ici un de ces rares moments où le savoir scientifique et la culture humaniste s’unissent pour donner naissance à un extraordinaire parcours de connaissance.

Travis Roy: Quadriplegia and a Life of Purpose

Biographies & Memoirs

“I realize how fortunate I was to spend the first half of my life with a passion, thanks to my hockey career. It took me a while to realize it, but now I feel fortunate to have lived the second half of my life with a purpose.”– Travis RoyThe dream goes from euphoric reality to tragic nightmare in a split second.The life of a hockey player ends; the life of a quadriplegic begins.Travis Roy: Quadriplegia and a Life of Purpose looks at Travis Roy’s search for meaning as a quadriplegic, and finding it.All proceeds from this book will be donated to the Travis Roy foundation, which funds research into a cure for spinal cord injuries and provides individual grants to survivors.

The Shape of Further Things

Biographies & Memoirs

The sci-fi author behind Steven Spielberg’s A.I. shares his thoughts on the present, the future, and his own work and life. “We are infinitely rich, yet we mess about with penny-in-the-slot machines,” writes Brian W. Aldiss in this autobiographical work written over the course of one month. From his Oxfordshire home, he ruminates on dreams, education, the role of technology in our lives, the rise and function of science fiction, and a variety of other topics. The Shape of Further Things is a window into the life and mind of a Science Fiction Grand Master. Winner of two Hugo Awards, one Nebula Award, and named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, Brian W. Aldiss challenged readers’ minds for over fifty years with literate, thought-provoking, and inventive science fiction. “This short book flows with large ideas, a time capsule now from the grandest of writers.” —SF Site

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